Tactics Ogre FAQ
by Zhou Tai An (or Kain) - kain@pacific.net.sg

Some Notes and Disclaimers :

1. This FAQ is not to be used without permission of it's owner etc - please
e-mail me if using it for a fanzine, web page or magazine. Acually, this
disclaimer is on all my FAQs, and in fact virtually every FAQ in existence, but
nevermind...

2. This is, strangely enough, my first FAQ for an English game. ^_^ But then
again, a lot of info in this FAQ is taken from Japanese web pages...especially
http://www.rpgdl.com, which deserves considerble praise for their extremely
detailed guide to Tactics Ogre.

3. This is a small FAQ, cut down due to lack of time. Hope you find it useful
anyway. I might, just might, be continuing this if I find some spare time, 
but seeing as I've been plagued with translation requests ranging from
Soukaigi to Second Impression (you know who you are ^_^) , which I plan to
work on next, it's rather unlikely.

******

On with the show!

******

Tactics Ogre Basics :

1. The Almighty Select Button. Quest has done a superb job with creating a 
truly well-fleshed out world - take advantage of this by using the Select
Button on virtually anything in the game. You can find out everything from
class prerequisites and Geography Effects to historical and political data;
have fun!

2. Back and side attacking. DO IT. OFTEN. Your hit rate increases by 25% from
the side and 50% from the back.

3. Read the Warren Report, especially the Notes. In fact, it's so good I'm
going to assume that you've done so already - it would take too much space to
include all that information here. Suffice to say that it will help you 
tremendously.

4. Use the L1 Button to check AT order. This is also a vital necessity when
planning any sort of action. By doing so, you can predict enemies' action,
and most importantly avoid sending your troops into certain death situations.
Very very important indeed - be sure to enable this function in the Options 
menu.

5. Pay attention to the Geograhpy Effect. Unlike most war games, in TO, this 
plays a much bigger role in the success of your attacks\defenses. A mere 5 
point difference in terrain ability (either Attack or Defense) can mean up to
a 20% or more difference in both hit rate and total damage! Roads are among 
the best places to take up positions on (Attack : 40 Defense : 20) and Lava 
is excellent defense (30). In case you didn't know, the Select Button will 
reveal all the info about the chosen terrain. (I toldja it was useful now 
didn't I?)

******

Combat :

Ah, the heart and soul of every RPG. ^_^

 - Terrain, moving and scouting.

1. Look carefully. I mean LOOK CAREFULLY. This may seem like stupid advice,
especially to a lot of veteran gamers out there, but I mean it. Remember
that TO is first and foremost a *strategy game* - I've seen too many of
my troops get plastered by enemy fire when I carelessly walked them too far
out. Remember, also, that the enemy is usually not stupid enough to march
directly into your troops, and that they always, always have a better 
position than yours, so exercise extreme caution in your approach. Use all
the tactics mentioned above to help as well.

2. Don't send mage-type units or your leader too far out. This bears repeating
again. Check for the presence of enemy archer, witch or mage units first 
before doing so. Death is final in this game without the very costly 
and difficult to obtain Revivify spell...

3. Check up on the enemy. By that I mean using the X button to view a
enemy unit's specifications - you'll find which units have special attacks,
what spells the enemy has equipped etc. 

4. Characters who can walk on water or swim will still suffer a great penalty
from being in or on the water itself, so be careful. (Water is only Attack : 
10 Defense 5 terrain after all.)

5. When pressing the O button to make your character act, his\her total
attack\defense bonuses, with both weather and terrain effect calculated, will
be displayed at the bottom right hand corner of the status bar. Take note.

- Fighting, spells and generally doing in the enemy.

1. It is possible to complete a stage with undead characters without an
Exorcist if you kill all of them and make sure they're all dead at the same
time. Just a mention. (Good thing undead are physically weak...)

2. Be careful about how fast your magic-using units regenerate MP. 2 WP = 1 
MP. In the beginning of the game, this shouldn't matter much as spells are
cheap, but when you get calling magic...emulate the enemy units and consider
using an MP restorative item at the beginning of battle. To maximize your 
mages' effectiveness, have a non-magic using unit use the item on them 
instead.

3. Spears and whips allow you to reach an additional 1 square horizontally
and two more vertically. Be aware that L size units also can reach further
vertically two more heights.

4. Note that cards will disappear once a battlefield has been completed, that
dead units that are not revived will remain dead, and that treasures that the
enemy has left will not be recoverable once another enemy unit has stepped on 
them.

5. Very often (in fact almost always) an arrow's range is at least one square
more than the brown highlights on the screen show, often two. Use your 
common sense to deduce how long and far an arrow will fly - if firing from
a higher to lower area, the range is often GREATLY increased. Do keep in
mind though, that a shot will not usually travel more than 2 heights vertically
upwards. Once again, exercising good old common sense will give you a 
reasonable estimate.

6. There's a small trick with attacking enemies with spears. Firstly, make
sure there is an enemy (preferably one that you want dead) between the spear-
wielder and you. Now attack. You will hit both and the spear-wielder will
counter, HITTING HIS OWN COMRADE IN THE PROCESS. The only bad thing about this 
is that it works both ways. ^_^

*******

Class Breakdowns :

Here are detailed notes on each of the character classes. Enjoy.

WT is computed as follows :

550 - Agility of character + Equipped items (+\-) Class 

Different classes have WT added\subtracted from them, as shown in the "W.T"
section of the unit specifications - which show attribute changes as the
class levels up.

A note about Preferred Weapons. Most classes have their own Preferred 
Weapons, usually distinguishable by the additional animation and sound effects
that accompanies the unit's attack. (For example, a Knight will draw the
sword, his Preferred Weapon, with a hiss and swing it as it creates a nasty 
chopping sound - whereas a mage will simply slam it into the enemy's head.)
Using a Preferred Weapon will increase both the damage and hit rate of the 
unit, so it's recommended that a Knight equip a sword even if you have, let's 
say, a more powerful axe.

Another note about your leader : Make him a warrior unit. If he dies it's 
Game Over, so it would make sense to let him have as much HP as possible. ^_^

Lastly, take note of your units' Alignment. Unlike Ogre Battle, Alignment
change is not possible in this game, so when recruiting additional units, 
feel free to reject those with unwanted Alignments - remember that Alignment
determines Class Change options.

Male Units :

Soldier :

The basic male unit. Decent, but nothing much really compared to the later
units. Change class as soon as possible - TO requires a balance of different
units in order for you to win battles.

Preferred Weapon : None

Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  | W.T|
  ALL  |ALL|---/7|---/3|---/5|---/4|---/5|---/5|---/5|---/5|+/-0|

Knight :

The mainstay of most fighting forces. A good number to keep is around 4 or 
so or your party will be too unbalanced. A steady and powerful fighting 
unit - however, you might consider using a few Berserkers for their increased
Vitality or a Beast Tamer for better range.

Preferred Weapon : Sword

Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
  ALL  |L/N|---/8|---/1|045/6|044/4|---/4|---/5|---/4|046/6|+05|

Berserker :

More hardy and slightly more powerful than a Knight. With a good axe a 
Berserker is a force to be reckoned with - careful with the lower speed 
though. Mix these with Knights to create a balanced front line.

Preferred Weapon : Axe (Hammer?)

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |N/C|---/9|---/1|045/6|046/5|---/3|---/6|---/4|044/5|+05|

Wizard :

Personally, I think Sirens are a LOT more effective. However, these are
pretty good until you can get some of the other class - personally, though,
I never use them.

Preferred Weapon : Staff

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |N/C|---/5|016/5|---/3|---/2|044/7|042/6|---/4|---/4|+10|

Beast Tamer :

At first, I thought that these guys were useless (and looked stupid to boot)
but then I discovered their whip capabilities. Not bad, but other units are
just as good for fighting purposes, and what's more, you can only bring
two monster units into battle.

Preferred Weapon : Whip

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |ALL|---/8|---/0|045/6|044/6|---/3|046/5|---/4|---/5|+05|

Ninja :

Pretty good all-purpose units. They have excellent mobility, with the ability
to walk on water, can jump 3 up heights and down 4, and cast magic as well.
(Even call magic!) Useful as their hit and evade rates are very high - if 
hit, though, they will be dead soon, and beware of never-missing magic. 
One might be a good addition to your forces to round them up, or you might
use a few as they can kill mages FAST. 

Preferred Weapons : Dagger and Claw

|Element |ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL   |ALL|---/7|---/2|045/4|---/4|---/4|---/5|046/7|044/6|-05|

Dragoon :

I really prefer the Japanese name for these guys are that's what they are :
Dragon Slayers. When equipped with a Dragon-slaying weapon, they will cleave
right through most Dragons with about 2 hits. Against other units, though,
they are less effective, though by no means useless - what slows them down
is their horrible Agility. However, their high HP, Strength and magic-using 
capability make them a good choice.

Preferred Weapon : Sword

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  | N |---/8|---/0|115/7|106/4|---/3|---/4|---/3|114/7|+05|

Sword Master :

At first glance, useless junk. At second glance, partially useful junk. 
Despite their HORRIBLE attack and defense power, Sword Masters are actually 
not all that bad. They do have excellent Dexterity and Agility, and can cast
Support Magic as well. I usually prefer Ninja, but with adequate training, 
I suppose a Sword Master could be used well. (Haborym is an example.)

Preferred Weapon : Sword

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  | L |---/7|---/3|095/4|---/3|---/5|---/6|102/6|126/8|+05|

Terror Knight :

Slow, bad hit rate, and not that powerful, but they have one hell of a 
defense. Easily the most resilient of all the higher class Knight units.
I don't really find them that useful because of their bad points, but one
could be pretty handy in absorbing enemy attacks - and they do have that
"dead soul" ability of theirs. (Note : I haven't been able to test what
difference a Terror Knight's presence makes to attacks\damage\hit rate etc.
If anyone knows please tell me.) A Terror Knight also has to kill more than
30 people, which might make obtaining this class rather troublesome.

Preferred Weapon : Sword (I think)

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |C  |---/9|---/0|117/6|114/6|---/3|---/5|---/3|104/5|+10|

Warlock

I don't use this fellow at all most of the time as a Witch is by far more
effective. Considering he has a whopping 15 point WT penalty, a Slow type
movement as compared to a Witch's Fast, and gains more Mental points
than Intelligence (he's here to cast magic, for goodness sake, not resist 
it), I don't consider him useful at all. (And I never use any monster units,
so his Golem ability is immaterial to me.) You could turn Presance into this
instead of letting him remain an Exorcist, but I usually don't.

Preferred Weapon : Staff (I think)

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |L/N|---/5|084/7|---/3|---/1|124/6|112/8|---/3|---/3|+15|

Exorcist :

Nothing much compared to Clerics or Priests - the latter can cast far more
powerful healing magic. The Exorcist's main purpose still remains his ability
to kill the undead once and for all. I never make an additional one since
Presance joins you early on the game, and besides, Clerics are cuter. ^_^

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |L  |---/6|---/6|---/3|044/4|042/7|044/5|---/3|---/4|+10|

Gunner :

Again, as with the Exorcist, one is usually enough, and the one is free
besides. As you have to have Rendal in your party in order to use the Gunner
class, you're better of just sticking with him instead. Why? Well, the
Gunner has an amazing 30 WT penalty, as well as taking about double damage
from magical attacks, and of course, there's the fact that they're only
3 guns in the whole game. On the plus side, though, his weapon cannot miss 
and can cover the whole screen - with the more powerful guns you find later,
he is a force to be reckoned with. A last note : use common sense in 
determining whether or not gunfire will hit its target. Guns may be 
powerful, but will NOT go through obstacles. ^_^ (Or characters...)

Preferred Weapon : Gun (What were you expecting?)

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |N  |---/6|---/0|120/4|---/3|---/4|---/4|164/6|150/6|+30|

Lord :

This class is THE BEEF, the eggs, and the side order of chilli fries as well.
The only down side to this is that you have to let Kachua die in order to
obtain it, and it might almost be worth it too. ^_^ With healing magic
capability, fantastic mobility, twin sword skill (bet you didn't know about
this), really high parameter increases and a 5 WT bonus besides, you've got
to be insane to not like this class.


Preferred Weapon : Sword

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |ALL|---/8|---/4|---/6|---/5|---/5|---/5|---/6|---/7|-05|


White Knight :

They're actually only two of them in the game, Guildus and Mildain, and both
of them are a welcome addition to your fighting forces. White Knights are
fast, have excellent hit\evade rates, good spell resistance and are no slouch
in the damage department either. The only drawback is their speed - they tend
to be very slow in reaching the enemy. (A Quick spell will rectify that
though) I always have both in my party if possible.

Preferred Weapon : Sword


|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |L  |---/8|---/0|---/5|---/6|---/5|---/6|---/6|---/6|-05|


Female Units :


Amazon :

See Soldier. No, really, besides the one obvious one, there's not much
difference between a Soldier and an Amazon. Oh yeah, an Amazon can go in 
water though. Hmmm. Let's not be chauvinistic here. ^_^

Preferred Weapon : None

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |ALL|---/7|***/3|***/5|***/4|***/5|***/5|***/5|***/5|+-0|

Archer :

This is one my FAVOURITE classes in the game. Fast, accurate, make that
DEADLY ACCURATE, powerful and they move far. I actually did have one game in 
which I had no mage units and used 3 of these instead. Their arrows do 
massive damage to even the armoured units and kill mage-type ones with ease.
(In fact, sometimes in one shot if you choose your terrain right.) Because of
their Dexterity ratings, they avoid enemy attacks more often that not - and 
if hit don't go down that easily. A vital support unit to have, and one which
can survive on the front line for a good bit too. In addition, Archers don't
suffer from weather penalties as much as the other classes do - what more
could you want?

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |N/C|***/7|***/2|***/4|044/5|***/4|***/5|044/6|048/7|-05|

Cleric :

The basic healing unit. Reliable, with an okay amount of restorative magic,
but quite weak - keep her behind your troops. One or two is more or less a
necessity in any party, especially as she can use Heal+.

Preferred Weapon : Staff

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |L/N|---/6|016/4|---/4|---/3|042/7|041/6|---/4|---/3|+05|

Valkyrie :

A warrior unit which unfortunately can't really stand up to many of the 
more powerful male Knight-type units. She does use a spear, though, whose 
range is helpful, and can cast Attack Magic besides - however, so can a 
Dragoon. Useful, but not very effective once more units become accessible.

Preferred Weapon : Spear

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |L/N|***/8|***/2|044/6|046/4|042/6|***/5|***/4|***/5|+05|

Siren :

The more powerful offensive magic-using class. My unit of choice for Attack
Magic as she not only looks better but is more powerful than a Wizard -
watch out for any attacks, though. Fast gains in Intelligence and MP make
her quite deadly if used well.

Preferred Weapon : Staff

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |L/N|***/4|036/6|***/3|***/2|075/8|071/6|***/3|***/4|+15|

Dragon Tamer :

The female equivalent of a Dragoon. Not as powerful against Dragons, but can
boost their power - unfortunately an ability which I don't need as I never 
use monster units. Can cast one spell. As with the Valkyire, I find that she
is outmoded in view of the more powerful male attack units, but then again,
one might find a niche use for her.

Preferred Weapon : Sword

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |ALL|180/8|***/1|115/6|***/2|***/5|103/6|***/4|***/6|+05|

Priestess :

The only class in the game which can return a dead unit to life with the
Revivify spell. Also the possessor of the potent Heal++, which can restore
to full life any unit onscreen. I generally keep one around, far in the back
to use both spells if need be.

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |L  |***/5|070/6|***/3|***/2|125/8|110/6|***/3|***/4|+20|

Witch :

The support-spell user. Far more effective than a Warlock (see Warlock 
section), a good trick to use with a Witch is casting Charge on yourself right
at the beginning of the battle. Also, in the earlier stages of the game, a
Witch equipped with a bow can do decent damage in addition to her spell-casting
capabilities. Nothing else much to say - this class is the one to get if you
want support magic.

|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |N/C|***/5|016/5|***/3|***/3|045/6|041/7|***/4|***/4|+10|

Angel Knight

I've never gotten this class myself, but it seems that this might just be
the equal of the Lord. Although she rises from the dead at Level 1, spear 
usage, the ability to fly as well great physical and mental attributes should 
make for a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention the "Angel Voices" (one
which reduces enemy mages' MP and the other which heals the undead) ability 
either. Note : try getting one when the Cardinal summons them - before you 
kill him, reduce the Angel Knight's HP and Convince one. They're hard to come
by otherwise. (You need to have killed less than 10 people...)


|Element|ALI|H.P  |M.P  |STR  |VIT  |INT  |MEN  |AGI  |DEX  |W.T|
|  ALL  |L  |***/8|092/5|135/7|122/4|144/7|119/5|122/5|124/5|+05|

That's it. I would dearly like to continue this guide but I'm afraid I can't.

Till FF8 then. ^_^